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Firmenich’s latest fragrance launch demonstrates new extraction technology
Global fragrance player Firmenich says investment in a new extraction technology is helping it to create the next generation of highly sustainable natural fragrance ingredients in the form of the new Firgood range. The technology is also said to offer new possibilities for fragrance ingredient development, leading to expanded palettes that will enable perfume producers to have more choice and enhance the boundaries of their fragrance creativity.
The Firgood range includes a number of highly exotic and unique extracts, which the company’s development team says will help in the creation of distinctive fragrances that stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. Firgood is a collection of natural fragrance extracts produced using the new patented extraction process, which has been developed by the team at the company’s new industrial facility in its Naturals Centre of Excellence, located in Grasse, South of France.
The Firmenich development team has designed the application of the technology so it only uses water that is an inherent part of the biomass cells before the extraction process takes place. The biomass is then warmed up using low-energy electromagnetic vibration, which means that the water from the biomass carries the odorant components, resulting in the final pure extract.
On top of all these efficiencies, the extraction process is solvent-free, while the dry biomasses only requires water humidification, again, minimizing the use of water. Additionally, the small amount of wastewater created at the end of the extraction process is clean and can be easily upcycled.
Currently, the Firgood range includes a pear, a ginger and a green bell pepper scent, but the company says it is planning the addition of a further 10 ingredients in the near future.
Sederma launches peptide-based ingredient for grey hair coverage
Sederma has recently launched Sliverfree, an ingredient that targets grey hair coverage using the company’s new peptide technology to enhance the natural pigmentation of greying hair. The Sederma development team utilised its new peptide technology to create the hair care ingredient, which works by ‘re-educating’ the hair bulb to stimulate pigmentation that can in turn reproduces the hair’s natural colour.
Sederma, part of the Croda Group, says its clinical trials have shown that the ingredient also provides enhanced protection against intrinsic and extrinsic oxidative damage while having a long-lasting effect that means traces of the pigmentation are still visible four months after treatment.
According to the company, the research into the new ingredient has been extensive, with its efficacy being demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that involved four independent clinical studies. The study results showed that Silverfree visibly reduced the density of white hair, decreasing the pigment from -32.4% to -86%, and restored the original hair color, which had the effect of increasing the pigmentation from +27.4% to +385%.
The ingredient is joining a growing number of new generation gray hair coverage solutions that all target the enhancement of the hair’s natural pigmentation. Similar ingredients have been developed by Sederma’s competitors, including Lucas Meyer Cosmetic’s Greyverse and Givaudan’s Darkenyl.
According to Sederma its solution has advantages over the competition thanks to a biomimetic lipodipeptide that acts on hair bulb, providing visible grey hair coverage for the vast majority of individuals within the first three months, regardless of hair type or colour.
New study from Euromed demonstrates skin care benefits from pomegranate extract
Ingredients provider Euromed says a study it commissioned on its pomegranate-derived ingredient, Pomanox, has shown it can improve the overall health and vitality of skin when taken as an oral supplement or in functional foods and beverages.
The study was conducted by the Eurecat Technology Center, a research company in Catalonia, which found that the extract can minimise hyperpigmentation, attenuate oxidative stress caused by excessive UV radiation, promote skin resilience and alleviate skin dryness. In particular, the study discovered that the ingredient provided an enhanced metabolism for collagen and hyaluronic acid was, while it also had a skin brightening effect, all serving to create a more even and radiant complexion.
The study results suggest that the ingredient could also have a preventive and regenerative effect, which is largely attributable to the fact that it is rich in polyphenols. This gives the ingredient antioxidant properties that inhibit pro-inflammatory enzymes and counteract oxidative stress caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation. Thanks to the UV protective effect, the study suggests that Pomonax can reduce hyperpigmentation by decreasing melanin synthesis.
The ingredient also has pro-ageing claims because it promotes collagen levels in the skin, maintaining skin elasticity. The study underscored this by demonstrating an increase in pro-collagen type I and total collagen found among the group participants.
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